Oversold and Underused: Computers in the Classroom by Larry Cuban (Harvard University Press, 2001).
The questions we wish to address during our live chat are:
Is it the role of schools to promote a democracy and students’ active participation in it toward a “greater good?
Are computers in schools worth the investment?
“When difficult public choices must be made, policy decisions should be informed by the past, situated in the present, and measured against the overriding civic and social purposes necessary for a democratic society” (p. 194-195).
In Chapter 6 of his book, Oversold and Underused: Computers in the Classroom, Cuban questions the effect of the increased number of computers and computer usage in classrooms across the country. Promoters of making new technology available believed that more computers in classrooms would increase productivity, transform teaching from textbook to more student-centered learning, and prepare students to compete in the global marketplace (p. 177). According to Cuban, research does not support these claims. Merely increasing the number of computers and technology available in the classroom does not achieve these goals. One might compare it to putting more treadmills in the gym; more treadmills will not necessarily make gym members healthier. Gym members must want to use the new treadmills and be trained in how to do so to meet their own goals.
The slow-revolution explanation suggests that as the infrastructure matures and teachers’ beliefs evolve, more teachers will change their practices. This would suggest accelerating the change by making technology available to everyone and thereby helping teachers do now what they will be doing in the future anyway. The history –and-context explanation rejects this notion and suggests that major changes must be made in basic structures and processes that have existed for decades or only minor alterations in classroom practice will occur (p. 181).
Educators and administrators should be involved in making technological choices that will best meet the needs of students. True reform could take place if more decisions about the use of technology could be placed in the hands of teachers, administrators, and parents instead of policy makers who are external and disconnected from school sites. Teachers are using computers as word processors and as research tools. They are not using them creatively, imaginatively or as a truly integrated part of curricula although many teachers do so outside of the school setting. Cuban suggests that teachers be given the opportunity to work with policymakers to “design and deploy” technology plans (p. 183). “When teachers do engage in . . . deliberations and when they design programs for themselves, when their opinions are seriously considered, changes in classroom practice occur that even the teachers themselves had not contemplated”(p. 184).
In a federally funded program called “The Teacher-Led Technology Challenge Project,” in Berkeley, California, teachers were given not only computers and other technology to utilize in their classroom, but training and decision making ability in the program. The program has been successful in the implementation of more student-centered practices, and increased technological skills of students along with an added interest in school and cooperation among peers. As Cuban explains, these are all wonderful outcomes but compared to the amount of money and time spent, the yields are modest (p. 189). Change will not occur in schools unless “…considerable changes in school organization, respect for teacher expertise, and the distribution of decision-making authority among teachers, administrators, and policymakers” (p. 189) are implemented.
Cuban reminds us that if schools are to promote democracy along with civic-mindedness and duty, then the number of computers in our classrooms is really not the issue. The issue lies in the reorganization and structuring of schools (smaller class sizes, full day pre-school and kinder, cross disciplinary programs, etc. to name a few). Some school reformers may have great intentions of wanting to make schools more efficient and our students more capable of competing in a global economy by promoting the use of standards-based curriculum and by raising test scores and accountability. This approach will not help achieve the goal of students becoming active citizens in a democratic society. This side of the school reform argues that increasing the number of computers in our classroom will create more knowledgeable and wiser students. “Contemporary reformers have forgotten the democratic mission at the heart of public schooling, ignored the critical importance of social capital in strengthening civic behaviors, and proven too narrowly committed to technocratic solutions of school problems. . .” (p. 191). Returning to the treadmill analogy… filling the gym with more treadmills in the gym will not necessarily lead to a healthier society.
Cuban makes the same argument regarding computers. For fundamental changes to occur in our schools, there will have to be “…widespread and deep reform in schools’ organization, political, social, and technological contexts” (p. 195). It is critical to note however, that one must agree with Cuban’s premise that teachers and schools have a responsibility to use technology “… to create better communities and build stronger citizens” (p. 197). “Policymakers, in their unalloyed admiration for the global success of American businesses, have regrettably slipped into a severe amnesia about why schools and universities exist in a democracy” (p. 194). Cuban obviously believes that promoting democracy and an active role in it, is a fundamental role of schools in society. Whether one agrees with this premise or not, Cuban makes a valid argument for reformers of any kind; simply adding more computers and technology to our classrooms is not the solution or silver bullet that many thought it would be.
Technology is here to stay and “…educators must have to come to terms with it as an educational tool” (p. 194). Cuban promotes a healthy discussion and debate of the role of computers in the classroom to move toward a more democratic society.
Key Terms: The Teacher Led Technology Challenge Project (TLTC) A program in the Berkeley Unified School District designed and implemented to have students using computers daily in the classroom to integrate the technology into their curricular and instructional routines. The logo of this program was “It’s not about technology; it is about learning.” (p. 184).
Social Capital: the connections between individuals that evolve into trust and reciprocity—critical component of any society but especially one that values civic duty and democratic virtues (p. 190).
Mary Lynn Bryan
Pat Rogers
Catherine Tom
October 19, 2009
Oversold and Underused: Computers in the Classroom by Larry Cuban (Harvard University Press, 2001).
The questions we wish to address during our live chat are:
“When difficult public choices must be made, policy decisions should be informed by the past, situated in the present, and measured against the overriding civic and social purposes necessary for a democratic society” (p. 194-195).
In Chapter 6 of his book, Oversold and Underused: Computers in the Classroom, Cuban questions the effect of the increased number of computers and computer usage in classrooms across the country. Promoters of making new technology available believed that more computers in classrooms would increase productivity, transform teaching from textbook to more student-centered learning, and prepare students to compete in the global marketplace (p. 177). According to Cuban, research does not support these claims. Merely increasing the number of computers and technology available in the classroom does not achieve these goals. One might compare it to putting more treadmills in the gym; more treadmills will not necessarily make gym members healthier. Gym members must want to use the new treadmills and be trained in how to do so to meet their own goals.
The slow-revolution explanation suggests that as the infrastructure matures and teachers’ beliefs evolve, more teachers will change their practices. This would suggest accelerating the change by making technology available to everyone and thereby helping teachers do now what they will be doing in the future anyway. The history –and-context explanation rejects this notion and suggests that major changes must be made in basic structures and processes that have existed for decades or only minor alterations in classroom practice will occur (p. 181).
Educators and administrators should be involved in making technological choices that will best meet the needs of students. True reform could take place if more decisions about the use of technology could be placed in the hands of teachers, administrators, and parents instead of policy makers who are external and disconnected from school sites. Teachers are using computers as word processors and as research tools. They are not using them creatively, imaginatively or as a truly integrated part of curricula although many teachers do so outside of the school setting. Cuban suggests that teachers be given the opportunity to work with policymakers to “design and deploy” technology plans (p. 183). “When teachers do engage in . . . deliberations and when they design programs for themselves, when their opinions are seriously considered, changes in classroom practice occur that even the teachers themselves had not contemplated”(p. 184).
In a federally funded program called “The Teacher-Led Technology Challenge Project,” in Berkeley, California, teachers were given not only computers and other technology to utilize in their classroom, but training and decision making ability in the program. The program has been successful in the implementation of more student-centered practices, and increased technological skills of students along with an added interest in school and cooperation among peers. As Cuban explains, these are all wonderful outcomes but compared to the amount of money and time spent, the yields are modest (p. 189). Change will not occur in schools unless “…considerable changes in school organization, respect for teacher expertise, and the distribution of decision-making authority among teachers, administrators, and policymakers” (p. 189) are implemented.
Cuban reminds us that if schools are to promote democracy along with civic-mindedness and duty, then the number of computers in our classrooms is really not the issue. The issue lies in the reorganization and structuring of schools (smaller class sizes, full day pre-school and kinder, cross disciplinary programs, etc. to name a few). Some school reformers may have great intentions of wanting to make schools more efficient and our students more capable of competing in a global economy by promoting the use of standards-based curriculum and by raising test scores and accountability. This approach will not help achieve the goal of students becoming active citizens in a democratic society. This side of the school reform argues that increasing the number of computers in our classroom will create more knowledgeable and wiser students. “Contemporary reformers have forgotten the democratic mission at the heart of public schooling, ignored the critical importance of social capital in strengthening civic behaviors, and proven too narrowly committed to technocratic solutions of school problems. . .” (p. 191). Returning to the treadmill analogy… filling the gym with more treadmills in the gym will not necessarily lead to a healthier society.
Cuban makes the same argument regarding computers. For fundamental changes to occur in our schools, there will have to be “…widespread and deep reform in schools’ organization, political, social, and technological contexts” (p. 195). It is critical to note however, that one must agree with Cuban’s premise that teachers and schools have a responsibility to use technology “… to create better communities and build stronger citizens” (p. 197). “Policymakers, in their unalloyed admiration for the global success of American businesses, have regrettably slipped into a severe amnesia about why schools and universities exist in a democracy” (p. 194). Cuban obviously believes that promoting democracy and an active role in it, is a fundamental role of schools in society. Whether one agrees with this premise or not, Cuban makes a valid argument for reformers of any kind; simply adding more computers and technology to our classrooms is not the solution or silver bullet that many thought it would be.
Technology is here to stay and “…educators must have to come to terms with it as an educational tool” (p. 194). Cuban promotes a healthy discussion and debate of the role of computers in the classroom to move toward a more democratic society.
Key Terms:
The Teacher Led Technology Challenge Project (TLTC) A program in the Berkeley Unified School District designed and implemented to have students using computers daily in the classroom to integrate the technology into their curricular and instructional routines. The logo of this program was “It’s not about technology; it is about learning.” (p. 184).
Social Capital: the connections between individuals that evolve into trust and reciprocity—critical component of any society but especially one that values civic duty and democratic virtues (p. 190).
Mary Lynn Bryan
Pat Rogers
Catherine Tom
October 19, 2009